Compliance
Compliance questions and sections
Purpose Purpose
Questions and sections define what a Compliance board measures. They are the structure behind the matrix, the site detail view, and saved reports.
Use sections to group requirements into a readable hierarchy. Use questions for the actual requirements that must be answered for each site.
Sections versus questions Sections versus questions
| Type | Use it for | Can contain children | Gets answered per site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section | Headings, chapters, domains, control families, or folders | Yes | No |
| Question | A specific requirement, control, or check | No | Yes |
Example structure:
Environmental Management (section)
├── Permits (section)
│ ├── Are environmental permits valid? (question)
│ └── Are permit conditions tracked? (question)
└── Training (section)
└── Is required training completed? (question)
Only leaf questions create answer items in the matrix. Sections help organize and summarize the questions below them.
Creating questions Creating questions
When you create a question, choose:
- Name — The requirement users will see in the matrix and site view
- Type — Section or question
- Description — Optional guidance, evidence expectations, or interpretation notes
- Tags — Optional labels for grouping or filtering questions
- Placement — Where the new section or question should appear in the hierarchy
Placement options are:
| Placement | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Append | Place the item as the last child of a target section. |
| Before | Place the item immediately before a target item at the same level. |
| After | Place the item immediately after a target item at the same level. |
If you create a leaf question, 21RISK automatically creates answer items for the active sites on the board. This is why a new question appears across the matrix without manual setup for each site.
Moving questions Moving questions
Questions and sections can be reorganized as your compliance program matures. You can move an item before another item, after another item, or into a section.
Important behavior:
- Moving a section moves its descendants with it.
- You cannot put a child inside a normal question.
- You cannot move a section or question under itself or one of its own descendants.
- 21RISK keeps numbering and ordering continuous so the hierarchy remains clean.
Use a minor change when moving a question if the requirement's meaning is unchanged.
Minor and major changes Minor and major changes
When editing a question, choose the change type carefully.
| Change type | Use when | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Fixing spelling, clarifying wording, updating tags, editing descriptions, or moving the item without changing what is being assessed | Creates a new revision in the same question version |
| Major | Changing the requirement enough that old answers should not be treated as answers to the new wording | Creates a new question version and new answer items for current sites |
Major changes are useful when a requirement becomes stricter, changes scope, or asks for different evidence. Historical answers stay connected to the older version, which protects audit history.
If you are unsure whether an edit is minor or major, ask: "Would an old answer still be a valid answer to the new question?" If not, use a major change.
History History
Each question has revision history. The history helps users and AI agents understand:
- Who changed the question
- When it changed
- Whether the change was minor or major
- What the current version is
- How the question has moved or been renamed over time
This makes the question library suitable for controlled compliance programs where changes must be explainable.
Deleting questions Deleting questions
Leaf questions can be deleted when they are no longer needed. A section with children must be emptied or reorganized before it can be deleted.
Deleting a question removes it from the live board. Saved historical reports remain useful because they resolve the question structure at the time the report was created.